


An iron heart with a damaged core

by The_silent_smile



Series: The not-so-happy life of Anthony Edward Stark [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: How Do I Tag, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt Tony, Hurt Tony Stark, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Insecure Tony, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Has Issues, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony-centric, how does one do tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 03:38:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19243051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_silent_smile/pseuds/The_silent_smile
Summary: Tony had known what Mantis her powers could do.And he had expected a confused or conflicted look just like she had given the rest of the team when using them on him.What he had not expected, was for her to curl up in a ball and scream as if she were being ripped apart as soon as she wrapped her fingers around his arm.





	An iron heart with a damaged core

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger/Squick warning: Mind reading, talk of past trauma/ptsd, crying.
> 
> AN: let's just imagine infinity war happened but without Thanos, so they just all kinda meet up and chill okay? Okay.

Trigger/Squick warning: Mind reading, talk of past trauma/PTSD, crying.

AN: let's just imagine infinity war happened but without Thanos, so they just all kinda meet up and chill okay? Okay.

Tony had seen Mantis do it many times, her curious eyes perking up at the person in question as she asked if she was allowed to touch them.

When getting a nod or positive response she would lay her hand on their upper arm, a wide range of emotions washing over her face, with every person the order or set of emotions different and changing in strength.

After the few seconds she would look up again either happiness written on her face, a puzzled look making her thin brows frown as she quietly asked them to explain something or, on rare and less lucky occasions with individuals who had learned to hide the back story that had led them to this point, tears.

She would always sit down with them and talk afterwards, Steve had explained to me that it was almost therapeutic, to have someone understand the things you've gone through so deeply and then asking questions or simply sitting, head slightly tilted like a curious puppy, and listening to the story.

Quill and him, after several arguments and 'two enormous egos crashing' ('how wonderfully phrased Rhodey thank you') several times they had become rather good friends.

The man told him about Mantis her abilities as best as he could, seeing as he had seen Tony's curious eyes fixating on the ivory skinned alien whenever she placed her hand on someone's shoulder, then all now haven gotten used to it to an extend of her simply doing so whenever someone seemed upset and proceeding to ask them how she or the others could help.

So, when he was sitting on the couch, watching with slightly widened eyes and with his lips twitching upwards in amusement at how Thor and Groot talked, the God's deep voice and the tree his slightly higher one filling the room with the same three words uttered in various ways, Thor gesturing wildly while groot looked at him unimpressed, by the looks of it not caring the slightest about the Grant Tale the god of thunder was telling him, Tony was not surprised as Mantis sat beside him, slightly shifting on the soft material of the couch before her jet-black eyes looked up at him, a hopeful smile on her lips as Tony looked at her, silently urging her to speak up about whatever she would like to discuss.

"Friend Tony, may I?" she simply asked, hands hovering over his exposed arm.

Tony simply shrugged, only half conscious of the conversation as he let out a chuckle when Thor grabbed Groot his new phone out of his hands followed by a rather angry 'I AM GROOT!' from the three who let his arm grow to wind around thor to keep him in place from where he had tried bolting away, the tree calmly walking over and taking the phone, making a face at Thor before unwinding his arm and making his way back to the couch. "I am g-" Thor his words, that seemed to be an apology to Groot, were cut short when Mantis made contact with Tony's skin, hand wrapped around his arm painfully tight as she curled up in pain.

Ear-piercing screams echoed through the building. A few shouts and second later and the room was filled with most of the people present in the tower, Tony simply staring at the bug-like alien with shook, his anxiety kicking in as he reflexively pulled away once he felt his body started to properly function again, leaving Mantis now curled up on the couch, tears spilling down her face as she trembled terribly.

Gamora was the first to step in.

"Stark what the hell did you do to her?" she said, pulling out a small blade while at the same time rushing over to the woman in question, effectively helping her sit up and then letting her rest on her shoulder, glaring daggers at Tony who now gripped his left underarm, a reflex he had picked up for a reason unknown to him.

"I-I did nothing to harm her nor cause her discomfort Mom."

It took him a while to put the carefully crafted mask back on, his signature smirk effectively hiding his train of thoughts, the many many things he, in fact, could have done to harm her flashing through his head like rapid-fire.

That was until Mantis herself spoke up, voice quiet and breaking with every few words she was able to form.

"Friend stark how... How can you smile while feeling such sorrow?"

The question hung heavy in the now deadly silent room, all of the Guardians and the Avengers present either frowning in confusion or looking down as if not wanting to be part of this, it clearly seeming private.

Rhodey was the one to break the silence that stretched out so long Tony was wondering if someone had them all spellbound to keep their mouths shut.

"Okay, everyone gets out. This is private and you damn well know it."

The others scurried through the doors quickly, Tony's grip on his arm tightening almost painfully so as he felt the glances they gave him burn into the back of his head, Steve staying, almost as if he wanted to say something before being pulled out of the room by a vibranium armed soldier who, thank the heavens, had the dignity to eye the floor rather then the back of Tony's head.

After a few moments, a hand was placed on his arm, the exact spot that Mantis had placed hers.

So Tony hurried to push the hand off of him, scared to hurt anyone else, brows knitted together and fists bawled.

Anyone who did not know him well enough would've thought him to be angry, the way his eyes hardened and his knuckles whitened by the force of him digging his nails into his own skin.

But when he looked up again he was met with four sad smiles and an almost sickening amount of sympathy swimming in eight eyes that had locked onto his form.

Rhodey, bless his soul, was once again the one to move things along.

"Tony. I thought we made an agreement on hiding stuff away from each other."

The soft tone was such a drastic change to his usual energetic tone that it almost surprised him, almost.

But then Gamora had her hand on his arm again, and he tensed again, glancing at Mantis as if expecting her to start screaming again by doing as much as looking at her.

"Well, I had better things to do than to dwell in self-pity, tin can. A world had to be saved you know? With the whole superhero thing, I didn't really have time to go see a therapist or something."

His tone was light, trying his best to brush off the topic before they got to fa-

" They didn't die, but you still feel like you failed to protect them. "

Well shit.

Mantis her hand was slightly twitching, as if wanting to reach out again, to understand the things she felt better, but scared at the same time.

In response, Tony tugged the hoodie he had thrown off of his shoulders closer to himself, Looking at Gamora her worried expression, Quills confused face, Rhodey's terrified gaze. Anywhere really to avoid those two black pools that were still swimming with tears.

"So-so many people hurt you, friend Tony. Even your friends left you they-... How can you smile with such a heavy heart?"

Oh, fuck this. Fuck this alien and her magic touchy-feely hands.

His shoulder sagged as he pulled his legs up onto the couch, arms wrapping around them, fists no longer clenched and the tremble no longer hidden. He sat like that for a while, none of them really sure of how to comfort him best, Rhodey taking a step back to give his friend space, remembering how he had told him that being alone helped back in the old days where there were no suits and no scientific wonder stuck in his chest. Back when the ego was real instead of a simple mask to keep everyone on an armlength distance.

"That doesn't matter."

He lifted his head from where it had been resting on his knees, no tears, no fear or sadness or anger. He was just tired.

Mantis looked at Quill who had uttered the statement with a confused expression, sniffing a little as she whipped away the last tear tracks.

"You're with friends. No pretending or faking. The bunch of misfits that you call your friends and this slightly newer and odder bunch of idiots got your ass covered Stark."

If it wasn't for the fact that he had tears streaming down his cheeks Tony would have laughed, the statement so utterly true and idiotic at the same time as they all smiled at him, Rhodey giving him a side hug, something that was rare for the billionaire to allow people to do, and nudged him with his shoulder in a friendly way.

"You're an ass, Tones. But you're our ass and we know damn well that you would walk through hell to make sure we're safe and sound. You're just a bit too dense to get that we'd do the same."

"That's genius for you, and be careful or I'll put a copyright strike on that suit of yours."

The whole room was smiling now, and Tony felt how, as he wrapped his own arm around Rhodey as well, it had gotten a little easier to live with the guilt. To convince himself that they were all safe.

And to simply smile, let his walls down and show them all a little bit more of the person hidden beneath the layers of fake confidence and titles that didn't apply to him anymore.

To simply be. Without the past looming over him like a predatory animal.

And as he let out a sigh, motioning for the others to come closer as well, Mantis now lying her hands on his clothed shoulder instead of making direct contact with his skin, he found he might be able to live like this.


End file.
